Thousands of demonstrators filled the streets in front of the San Luis Obispo County courthouse on Saturday as part of the ‘No Kings’ protest—a coordinated movement to oppose what organizers call rising authoritarianism and political corruption within the Trump Administration.
The protest was one of many held across the country, drawing millions who voiced concerns over issues ranging from immigration crackdowns and restrictions on LGBTQ+ freedoms to new laws targeting pro-Palestinian protesters.
“It's love, not hate, that makes America great,” the crowd chanted throughout the rally.
Bibi Shah, president of the Young Progressives club at Arroyo Grande High School, was one of the voices that kicked off the rally.
“It has been a weird two years being president of a high school political club. We made it through a presidential election, Brat Summer, but now we're just waiting on those Epstein files, am I right, guys?” Shaw told the crowd.
Participants carried signs reading, “No Kings” “Fight Facism” or “Free the Epstein Files,” while waving American and Palestinian flags.
Colin Broadwater, a local resident, said he attended to protest recent immigration enforcement tactics.
“I would just appreciate due process for everybody in the country,” Broadwater said. “I don't like seeing mass untrained large men running around, tackling people and taking them who knows where. I would like for that to stop.”
Others focused on U.S. foreign policy. Kalea Conrad, who held a Palestinian flag, criticized American military aid to Israel.
“It’s just really impossibly hard to watch the crumbling of the rights and liberties of an entire population of people,” Conrad said. “Our government is funding it with our tax dollars, continues to uplift an apartheid regime and people are silent.”
In addition to protesting federal policies, many at the San Luis Obispo rally voiced support for Proposition 50, a proposed California ballot measure that would change the way Congressional districts are drawn, with the goal of reducing partisan gerrymandering.
The ‘No Kings’ movement, first launched earlier this year, has grown into a broader platform for what activists have described as a rise in authoritarianism within America’s federal government.
